A variety of different types of medical devices may include wireless telemetry functionality. A clinician or a patient may use a programming device to wirelessly communicate with such medical devices. For example, a clinician or patient may use a programming device to wirelessly retrieve data from a medical device and to wirelessly program the medical device. Medical devices including wireless telemetry functionality may include, but are not limited to, cardiac electrical therapy devices, neurostimulation devices, and drug pump devices. Example cardiac electrical therapy devices may include pacemakers, cardioverters, and/or defibrillators. Neurostimulation devices may be used to stimulate targets that include, but are not limited to, spinal cord targets, deep brain stimulation (DBS) targets, gastric nerves, pelvic nerves, peripheral nerves, and/or a variety of organs such as the heart, stomach, bladder, or the like. Example drug pump devices may be configured to deliver medication for treatment of chronic pain or diabetes. Medical devices that include wireless telemetry functionality may be implanted in a patient or may be attached externally to the patient in some examples.
A programming device may include a variety of different functionalities and may have a variety of different form factors, depending on the application for which the programming device is tailored. In some examples, a programming device may be tailored to a clinician that may use the programming device in order to program a medical device or retrieve information from the medical devices. In other examples, a programming device may be tailored for more limited use by a patient so that the patient may program and monitor operation of their medical device.